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Where to Study in Australia: Ten Student Cities Compared on Rent, Transport, Regional Status and Indian Community

In Australia the city decides more than rent: it decides your regional category for the 485 visa and the migration points test. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are Category 1, with no regional benefits; Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, the Gold Coast, Newcastle, Wollongong and Hobart are Category 2; Darwin and the rest of the country are Category 3.

Leonid Kurza, co-founder of EdumappleBy Leonid Kurza · co-founder of Edumapple · checked

Tree-lined street in central Adelaide
Tree-lined street in central Adelaide. Photo: Matthew Summerton, CC BY-SA 3.0
  • 241,697India-born residents, Melbourne, 2021
  • 185,340India-born residents, Sydney, 2021
  • A$200typical room in Adelaide, a week
  • freebuses in Darwin

The ten cities at a glance

CityPopulation, 2025485 categoryIndia-born, 2021Student transport
Sydney5,638,8301185,340No tertiary concession for most
Melbourne5,435,5901241,69750% travel pass
Brisbane2,833,524151,54350c a trip for all
Perth2,452,765258,181Tertiary SmartRider
Adelaide1,491,015242,913Tertiary concession
Canberra484,630218,220Tertiary concession
Gold Coast691,23027,32450c a trip for all
Wollongong and Newcastle224,327 and 178,93522,633 and 3,654No tertiary concession for most
Hobart255,2502 (2-year second 485)4,045Concession for full-time students
Darwin159,28433,804Buses free

Population: ABS estimates at 30 June 2025 (Greater Capital City, or local government area for the Gold Coast, Newcastle and Wollongong). India-born: Census 2021, ABS urban area.

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How to choose

Pick the course, then weigh three things about the city: the 485 category, which can add one or two years of work rights and five points; rent, which varies from ₹13,400 (A$200) for a room in Adelaide to well over A$500 a week for a flat in Melbourne or Brisbane; and the job market for part-time work now and a graduate job later. See the regional second 485.

Questions from Indian students: Student cities in Australia

Which is the best city in Australia for Indian students?
Melbourne and Sydney for jobs and the largest Indian communities; Adelaide and Perth for lower rents with Category 2 regional status; Canberra for a Go8 university with regional benefits; Hobart and Darwin for the longest regional 485 extensions.
Which city in Australia is cheapest for students?
Adelaide, where the state government puts a room at A$150–300 a week (typically A$200). Darwin's free buses and Hobart's smaller market also keep costs down.
Which Australian cities are regional for the 485?
Category 2: Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, Wollongong and the Illawarra, Geelong and Hobart. Category 3: everywhere outside the three big cities and those centres, including Darwin.
Where do most Indians live in Australia?
Melbourne (241,697 India-born residents in 2021) and Sydney (185,340), followed by Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide. In Melbourne's west, Tarneit and Truganina; in Sydney, Parramatta, Harris Park, Westmead and Blacktown.
Do international students get transport discounts?
In Melbourne (50% for eligible students), Perth (Tertiary SmartRider), Brisbane and the Gold Coast (50 cents a trip for everyone) and Darwin (free buses). Not in Sydney, Newcastle or Wollongong.

Sources we checked